Jumla farmers begin to harvest apples

By Our Correspondent,Jumla, Aug. 17: Farmers in Jumla district have started picking apples. The farmers have started picking apples by coordinating with apple traders. 

According to the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, Apple Superzone Office, apples grown on the river banks in ​​Tila Rural Municipality are being harvested at the beginning. 

Farmer Kaliman Rawat of Tila Rural Municipality-2 said that he started picking apples. He said that about 15.16 quintals of apples were picked so far. About 200 of 700 apple plants in his garden have started yielding fruits, he said. 

Another farmer, Ram Bahadur Rawat, said that there are 600 apple plants in his apple garden in Tila Rural Municipality-2. Among the 600 plants, 150 apple plants have started giving fruits this year, he said. 

It is estimated that around 40 quintals of apples will be produced this year, he added. He said that the apples of some farmers, including himself were bought by local businessman Anand Adhikari and farmers sold a kg of apples at Rs. 70 from the garden. 

Farmers claimed that the apples produced in Jumla this year were good. 

However, the concerned office said that it would be better to harvest apples only from the fourth week of August, but the farmers had already started harvesting the fruit. 

Khem Raj Shahi, Chief of Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, Apple Superzone Project Office, Jumla said that farmers in Tila Rural Municipality have started 

picking apples

 According to him, they started to check the quality of apples after the farmers started picking them. He informed that the apples would be good only if 11.30 per cent of the candy was filled. 

According to him, it is possible to estimate the amount of apple production in the district only in a week. Traders from different parts of the country, including locals, are reaching farmers' orchards to buy apples.

According to the data of the Agricultural Development Office, apple cultivation has expanded to 4,250 hectares of land in Jumla. The office said that apple production has been increasing every year in Jumla.